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Lord Drayson’s tech firm is attaching its IoT air pollution sensors to private hire cars

Drayson Technologies, the tech firm founded by Lord Paul Drayson, has signed a partnership with a private car hire company to monitor air pollution levels around London.

Its new agreement with Greentomatocars will see Drayson attaching its CleanSpace Tag air pollution sensors to the green private hire company’s fleet, creating a mobile sensor network that will monitor pollution levels across the capital.

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensor network will help to create a hyperlocal map of air pollution, allowing policymakers and residents to glean a better understanding of the issue, and inform Greentomotocars’ drivers best practice such as when to turn on electric mode in their vehicles.

Data from the sensors will also be fed into Drayson’s CleanSpace Air Map, giving Londoners hyperlocal information on pollution levels and identifying potential exposure risks in areas around schools, hospitals and other areas.

Lord Paul Drayson, Chairman and CEO of Drayson Technologies, commented: “Our aim at Drayson Technologies is to map the personal health space by collecting data on both the environment and health.

“Our collaboration with greentomatocars further strengthens our CleanSpace environmental monitoring network in London and will help us to better understand how air pollution impacts people’s health and in turn help Londoners lead healthier lives.”

London’s toxic air has become a major political and social problem in recent years, only exacerbated after the capital breached its annual air pollution limit just five days into 2017.

The Mayor Sadiq Khan has branded air pollution in the capital as a ‘public health emergency’ with City Hall taking steps to widen low emission zones in Central London by 2019.

However, it is increasingly businesses and startups who are providing the most innovative and efficient solutions to the problem, with a vast array of companies working on various projects and products to tackle the problem.

Julia Thomas, Managing Director of Greentomatocars said that the ‘primary principle’ of its business was to make the ‘greatest possible’ contribution to improving the environment.

She added: “Being ethical and environmentally responsible is at the heart of our business. Our partnership with Drayson Technologies embodies greentomatocars’ values and we plan to use the pollution data collected to further enhance our environmental efficiency and to give London residents the information they need to lead healthier lives.”